*****
Li Zicheng died in Fenghuang Mountain south of Qizhou, and his body was soon transported back to the Dashun Army camp on the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains by Nong Danian and others.
When Song offered his advice, Gu Junen, Yu Shangyou, Yuan Zongde, Liu Fangliang, Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun, Zhang Nai, Wu Ruyi and other civil and military officials of the Dashun Dynasty were all panicked.
The morale of the Dashun Army was already very low, and with the presence of Emperor Li Zicheng, they were still struggling to maintain the situation. Now that Li Zicheng, the backbone of the army, is gone, everyone's heart can be described as desperate.
When Shao Hua arrived at Dabie Mountain, Wu Sangui, who had been preparing to return to reinforce Ajige because of the setback in his offensive, heard that Li Zicheng had died, so he led his troops from Meichuan to the southern foot of Dabie Mountain.
The morale of the Dashun Army dropped to freezing point, and a large number of deserters appeared during this period; military camps such as Guiao, Guling, Yangjiayuan, Dongjialing, and Xiayuzhuang were lost one after another. The Dashun Army was leaderless and could collapse completely at any time.
Shao Hua urgently negotiated with Yuan Zongde, Liu Fangliang, Tian Jianxiu, Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tiren and other generals of the Dashun Army. In fact, at this point, Yuan Zongde and others had no other choice but to surrender to the Qing, escape for their lives, or join the arms of the Qin Army.
Shao Hua cut the Gordian knot and agreed to most of the conditions they proposed.
Shao Hua proposed only one condition, which was to send the families of the Dashun Army across the river for resettlement as soon as possible.
Liu Fangliang and others knew very well that Qin Mu wanted them to show the most basic sincerity. To be honest, if they truly surrendered, it would be beneficial for them to settle their families in the safe Huguang area.
First of all, the family was safe and no longer had to flee with the army and suffer hunger.
Furthermore, they will no longer be burdened by the elderly, the weak, women and children and can fight more flexibly, which greatly increases their chances of survival and victory.
If they don't even agree to this, there is no way Qin Mu will believe that they are truly loyal.
Therefore, everyone agreed without much hesitation.
Once this condition was agreed upon, the relationship between the two parties changed from a cooperative one to a subordinate one.
Liu Fangliang, Tian Jianxiu and others began to announce to the soldiers the news of joining the Qin army, and at the same time explained that Qin Mu agreed to a series of favorable conditions.
Overnight, the Dashun Army changed its flag to the Qin Army's. With someone to rely on and something to look forward to, their morale was greatly restored.
Nearly 100,000 elderly, weak, women and children were looking forward to reaching Huguang to live a stable life as soon as possible. They had been fleeing all the way, living in fear and anxiety all day long. It was natural for them to hope to live a stable life as soon as possible.
After taking care of the Dabie Mountains, Shao Hua immediately brought Song Xiance and Gu Junen back to Wuchang. Before leaving, he repeatedly assured Tian Jianxiu, Liu Fangliang and others that Qin general Liu Meng would soon cross the river in a large force to attack Wu Sangui.
When in Dabie Mountain, Shao Hua did not mention a word about Li Guo's troops. After bringing Song Xiance and Gu Jun'en across the river, he suddenly remembered and told them the whereabouts of Li Guo's troops. At the same time, he asked Song Xiance to rush to Li Guo's army as soon as possible to persuade them.
Liu Meng, who had been prepared for this, led 20,000 troops that night, crossed the northern bank of the Yangtze River with the assistance of the Poyang Lake Navy, and advanced to Guangji City, directly threatening Wu Sangui's right wing and forcing Wu Sangui to temporarily retreat to Luotian.
Under the protection of the two armies, the families of the former Dashun Army began to cross the river and head south in batches.
*********
Under the city of Hanyang, the Qing army suffered heavy casualties, but still saw no hope of breaking the city. On the contrary, under Qin Mu's powerful propaganda offensive, nearly half of Ajige's Green Camp soldiers ran away, causing a sharp drop in morale.
At this time, Ajige received a request for help from Wu Sangui, saying that the families of the Dashun Army were crossing the river to the south under the cover of the Qin Army. Ajige immediately took advantage of the situation, abandoned Hanyang City, and led his troops to Huangzhou.
Not only did the Qin army severely defeat Ajige's attack at the gates of Hanyang, but news also came that Ziling Town had completely wiped out Shang Kexi's 40,000-man army. The three armies cheered and their morale was high.
Seeing that the morale was good, Qin Mu immediately assembled 20,000 infantry and cavalry, marched out of Hanyang, crossed the Han River, pursued Ajige, and pressed towards Huangzhou.
The actions of the Qin army completely angered the brutal Ajige. In his opinion, it was a blessing that the Qin army was able to withstand his attack by relying on the high city walls and thick walls. Now they dared to chase them out. Wasn't this courting death
The enraged Ajige did not go to Luotian to join Wu Sangui, but turned around and led his troops to fight back.
Qin Mu played the trick of advancing when the enemy retreated and retreating when the enemy advanced. When Ajige was almost there, he immediately retreated to Huangpi County, not far from Hankou.
Ajige chased to Huangpi and attacked fiercely for a long time. Seeing that he would be trapped in a war of attrition outside the city of Hanyang, he was so angry that he was fuming, but there was nowhere to escape.
When Ajige withdrew his troops eastwards, cursing, he soon heard that Qin Mu had caught up with them.
Although Ajige was brutal and brave but not wise, he was not a fool after all. He learned his lesson this time and did not rush back immediately. Instead, he pretended not to know that Qin Mu was chasing him and continued to go east. He decided to lure Qin Mu away from his lair and then come back to kill him.
Huangpi is about 300 li away from Luotian. The surrounding area is flat, which is conducive to cavalry combat. Qin Mu's troops are mostly infantry. Once we lead him across the Jushui River, we will see where he can escape.
The Jushui River originates from the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains, flows south through Macheng, and is roughly located between Huangpi and Luotian.
Looking at the vast river flowing southward, even a man as strong as Huo Sheng or as brave as Niu Wanchuan began to hesitate.
Su Jin spoke first: "Sir, once we cross the Ju River, Ajige will return to attack us, and we will have no way to retreat. The surrounding area is flat and wide, which is extremely disadvantageous to our army. Please think twice."
Liu Yongzhi also advised: "Sir, although Ajige was severely defeated at the gates of Hanyang, his remaining forces are not weaker than ours. This place is only 150 miles away from Luotian. Wu Sangui is also likely to come to reinforce. The two have a total of 50,000 troops, all of which are cavalry. Once our 20,000 troops cross the river, there will be no way to retreat and the situation will be extremely dangerous."
Assistant Secretary Yue Zhongliang, Deputy General Cao Taiping, as well as Niu Wanshan, Niu Wanchuan, Lin Shaoxing and others also tried to dissuade them.
Reason told Qin Mu that crossing the river was indeed dangerous.
But stopping there would undoubtedly be a severe blow to the high morale.
Moreover, from the hesitant looks of a number of senior generals, Qin Mu realized that the Qin army's psychological advantage over the Tatars had not really been established.
In Hanyang, they relied on the city defense battle to tire out the Tatars, and then went out of the city to counterattack. Although they won, the generals felt that it was not a real field battle. In a real field battle, they still lacked the confidence to win.
Qin Mu pressed the hilt of his sword and said in a deep voice: "We can't hide in our turtle shells forever."
"grown ups... ... ... "
"Do you remember Han general Li Ling? He led 5,000 infantrymen deep into the barren land. In the first battle, 5,000 infantrymen faced 30,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen, killing several thousand enemies. In the second battle, 5,000 infantrymen faced 80,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen, killing 3,000 enemies. In the third battle, 4,000 infantrymen faced 70,000 Xiongnu cavalrymen, killing several thousand enemies again. Li Ling used iron facts to tell us that infantrymen can also defeat cavalrymen."
"Sir, but in the end Li Ling's army was wiped out, and he himself became a prisoner of the Xiongnu."
"Even if we lose, we still have honor!" Qin Mu said resolutely, "The total strength of the Manchus and Mongols is only 100,000. There are hundreds of millions of Han people. Even if we use 100 to exchange for one, we can wipe out the Tartars from the earth. What we lack is the courage to die. Today, let me start! If you don't have the courage to die, stay on the west bank. I will not look back. Even if I die on the east bank, I will bite off a piece of the Tartar's flesh and make him feel heartbroken. Let him know that there are still people among us Han people who dare to repay tooth for tooth and blood for blood."
As soon as Qin Mu finished speaking, all the generals around him knelt down on the ground, gritting their teeth, their eyes bloodshot, and shouting hoarsely: "I am willing to follow you to death!"
The generals knelt on one knee and roared loudly. When the soldiers of the three armies heard it, they immediately surged down like a wave and roared in unison:
"I am willing to die with you, sir!"
"I am willing to die with you, sir!"
"I am willing to die with you, sir!"
On the vast land, beside the mighty Ju River, only Qin Mu was left standing like a mountain. The huge sound waves made the Ju River seem to boil.
Qin Mu held the Juque Sword and shouted, "Get up! Get ready immediately. We will cross the river at 3 pm tomorrow."
“Yes!”
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ps: I noticed that at the end of the month, other companies are making a lot of money from monthly tickets, but there is no movement on my side. Are they worried that the enemy will discover our river crossing operation, so they have to do it quietly
Don't worry! We should be low-key in life and high-profile in work, and we are not afraid of being discovered.
Please give me a monthly ticket!
Please give me a monthly ticket!
.(To be continued..)
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